Oyyy

[ladybug_archive]

**rolls eyes at someone's comment on a Crisis Core scene.** If they don't like seeing a sane Sephiroth, fine, that's their business, and their opinion. If they prefer him insane and evil, whatever. Who cares? But when they express (and in a crude way, at that) how horrible Square Enix is for "changing" the character, and that Sephiroth was always flat-out evil and Square didn't want him to have sympathy, I have to firmly disagree. Square didn't change anything. I do wonder if that person (and others with that argument) really paid attention to the flashbacks in the original game, where Sephiroth is shown to have been kind and good. The scene of him being concerned over an ill SOLDIER is from the original game. As well as his very early interaction with "Cloud" (really Zack), which became the fans' basis for considering them as friends. Yes, we all know Sephiroth became an insane wretch at Nibelheim, but Square's ideas of what he was like before that have not changed. They know what they're doing. The flashbacks in the original game appear to have been meant to show the tragic downfall of someone who really was good. I can't say for absolute certainty that they meant that, but I can say that in no way does Square's Crisis Core Sephiroth's personality differ from that of the Sephiroth from the original game flashbacks. And since Crisis Core does indeed depict a good man who suffered a tragic downfall, I have no reason to believe that the intention was different in the original game. Unless of course there's an interview floating around somewhere where Nomura actually said that.

And in case anyone brings it up, no, I do not disregard Tifa's comment in the original game that Sephiroth appeared cold to her. Aside from the fact that there's a big difference between being cold and always being evil, I don't even think he did come off as being that cold, as explained in my essay. Basically, I think that was Tifa's personal opinion because she was ticked off that Sephiroth didn't let her enter a restricted area. XD; That seems to be the case in Crisis Core, at least.

And speaking of my essay, I never seem to be satisfied that it's done. XD; Now I wanna talk about all of the above in it. And earlier I was thinking of specifically mentioning the way Sephiroth looked at Zack in chapter 7 of Crisis Core. X3 That is not the look you'd give someone you didn't care about. **Squees!** http://www.silenttweak.net/gallery/chapter7/photos/snap189.jpg Other than chapter 4 as a whole, this part from chapter 7 is a big favorite.

Chapter 7 of Stars is moving along. X3 I hope to finish it soon. Got sidetracked when I decided to write about this.

The first draft of chapter 3 of the wing prejudice fic is basically done. But it's one of the most unfinished first drafts ever. XD; Much needs to be tinkered with and added. It'll probably drive me nuts for a while. I'm hoping chapter 4 will be easier.

Found a lot more funny YouTube AMVs. And Kaze located two Captain Planet parodies, one with Cloud and one with Sephiroth. LOL!

Comments

[wngdngl.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah, I knew what "look" you meant right away, though I didn't know what chapter it was from. I just remembered from the character video on the CC site. There was someone named galiina on dA who did a comic page of that scene. She took it off, but it was really cute, with a chibi Zack looking all hesitant about leaving.

I congratulate you on having the patience to do an essay. I guess the reason some fans don't like CC Seph is because they don't like to think of the character in a different way, or don't really believe that one event could cause that big of a change. It's easier to think of him having always been that way, but Square knew that it's a much bigger impact for the Zack and the player to become friends with a decent, caring man and then put them through the heartbreak that is Nibelheim. And to be fair, insane!Seph's personality isn't a complete, 360-degree turn from his normal one, more like a twisted fun-house mirror version that still retains some familiar traits - independence, persistence, etc. I also found it interesting how, at the crater when Seph is trying manipulate Cloud and get his revenge on him, he tells Cloud that he is not who he thinks he is, that he is simply a product of Shinra's labs, and that his past "life" is meaningless before his pre-defined purpose. I don't know if Seph is even consciously aware of the irony here, but that's apparently the worst thing he can think of.

By the by, which SOLDIER on that mission was sick? I know Cloud got a lil motion sick, but then it was Zack that talked to him.

[insaneladybug.livejournal.com]

Dang, I wish she wouldn't have taken it off! That sounds adorable!

**nodnod.** I was actually going to have another paragraph to this rant, about how insane-Seph does indeed retain some familiar qualities, and even some honor. I've been comparing him with Kefka the last few days, ever since remembering that someone told me my redesign of the Safer form looks like Kefka's, and I've determined that while Kefka may have been the original, he's not the best by far. XD; I think even insane-Seph had more honor than him, because if what I was reading was correct, it indicated that Kefka did a lot of that back-stabbing stuff, pretending to be good when he wasn't. And Seph never does that. What you see is what you get. Either he's honestly a kind person, or he's bonkers. XD;

That is interesting, about what Seph comes up with for the very worst to say to Cloud. As if thinking that since it was the worst for Seph, personally, he would try it on Cloud, feeling that Cloud would also find it abhorrent.

Hmm.... Maybe it was Cloud. XD; I actually thought it was some random SOLDIER that had to be carried off to get help. I should see that part again.

Another thing I just thought of that I could have added is that, judging by the many old fanarts (largely Japanese, but some American/other countries, too) that depict Seph as a good person, when they only had the original game to go on, a lot of people feel the same way we do.

[randomaicoholic.livejournal.com]

"I also found it interesting how, at the crater when Seph is trying manipulate Cloud and get his revenge on him, he tells Cloud that he is not who he thinks he is, that he is simply a product of Shinra's labs, and that his past "life" is meaningless before his pre-defined purpose. I don't know if Seph is even consciously aware of the irony here, but that's apparently the worst thing he can think of."
I'm not in the FF VII fandom anymore, but I should said...that it was one of the more clever and insighful observation that I've read about Sephiroth, so kuddo for you.^__^